WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

Hi there,

Long time lurker on these forums so I figured now would be a good a time as any to register seeing as I have a question to ask...

What are these things? (see below)
I have seen them everywhere mounted to power poles for years now and I can't find any listing of them on the ACMA database. It's been driving me nuts.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~optix/ap/5512.jpg
http://members.iinet.net.au/~optix/ap/5518.jpg

astrant82 wrote:Hi there, Long time lurker on these forums so I figured now would be a good a time as any to register seeing as I have a question to ask...What are these things? (see below) I have seen them everywhere mounted to power poles for years now and I can't find any listing of them on the ACMA database. It's been driving me nuts. http://members.iinet.net.au/~optix/ap/5512.jpg
http://members.iinet.net.au/~optix/ap/5518.jpg

This may answer your question.

R

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCADA

I've seen those near council bore irrigation systems although without solar panels. I suspect they can adjust watering schedules and monitor faults.

My guess: I'd suspect they are just in listen mode and with a transmitter somewhere in the metro area that would put out some data telling the device what to do.

The ones on power poles I'm *guessing* would trigger/modify grid related equipment. I've seen them on the pole switches atop power poles, and I'd guess if there was a fault and it needed to be remotely turned on/off it could be from a central location instead of a car having to go it, and manually switching it.

That makes a lot of sense actually. There was one further up the road that was well and truly wired to the power lines (unlike this one which didn't appear to wired to the power lines at all) and had a warning sign on it about not disconnecting the antenna. Given this was out in a well bushy area it would make complete sense to have some way of remotely killing the power to protect fire brigade members trying to put out a bushfire in that area. Reminds me of the poor bloke from Alinta who had to go out into the Roleystone/Kelmscott fires in February and had to turn a whole tonne of valves off by hand.

They are commonly known in my industry as Yagi antennas fyi

astrant82 wrote: I have seen them everywhere mounted to power poles for years now and I can't find any listing of them on the ACMA database. It's been driving me nuts.

You will hear the output these devices are communicating with chatting away around 460-462MHz.

Cheers.

Very interesting. I've found some others near the mitchell freeway that I can't explain. I'll grab a couple of photos and upload.

written_ficton wrote:Very interesting. I've found some others near the mitchell freeway that I can't explain.

I think those are antennas for the Transperth train radio comms network.

vk6hgr wrote:

written_ficton wrote:Very interesting. I've found some others near the mitchell freeway that I can't explain.

I think those are antennas for the Transperth train radio comms network.

Oh, They are on both sides of the freeway... give me a couple of hours and will take a pictures

they use them on pump cabinets on parks, and pumping stations to control the pump remotely using telemetry, the city of wanneroo used to use this system as well as joondalup but as cabnets are getting replaced it is being phased out, you still see the beams around some older suburbs, they are usually 3 or 6 element yagis.